Tuesday 1 October 2013

PIGFACE

Mesembryanthemum (meaning "midday flowering" in Greek) is a genus of flowering plants native to southern Africa. Fig marigold or Icicle plant is a name for any of several South African taxa of Mesembryanthemum which are cultivated as ornamental plants for their showy pink or white flowers. "Pebble plant" or "Ice plant" are other but rather ambiguous common names, usually referring to other Aizoaceae.

The plant  is characterised by long-lasting flower heads. Flowers of Mesembryanthemum protect their gametes from night-time dews or frosts but open in sunlight. There is an obvious evolutionary advantage to doing this; where sun, dew, frost, wind or predators are likely to damage exposed reproductive organs, closing may be advantageous during times when flowers are unlikely to attract pollinators.

This post is part of the Nature Footsteps Floral Macros meme.

and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme.



5 comments:

  1. Love these stunning red flowers, no matter what they are called!

    Thanks for your contribution to Ruby Tuesday Too!

    Stained Glass Rubies





    ReplyDelete
  2. Bright cheery faces to see! :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. an unusual and interesting flower and the names suggested don´t suit it.
    It has a cup in teh center, let´s call it the red cup. :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Love the "from above" perspective!

    ReplyDelete

I love to hear from you, so please comment. I appreciate constructive criticism as it improves my skills as an amateur photographer.